Over the last week, the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited discovered and destroyed 34 illegal refineries in the Niger Delta.
The NNPCL announced that, in relation to the several incidents of oil theft and pipeline sabotage last week, it had arrested no fewer than twenty people.
The oil company said in a video posted on Tuesday that at 9:16 a.m. on January 21, security agencies on surveillance patrol stopped a huge motor vessel barge that was allegedly being utilized for illicit oil bunkering operations in the Bayelsa State region of Ijaw Local Government.
“It was reported that the barge was intercepted close to the Nigeria Agip oil pipeline.”
It was discovered between January 20 and January 26 that 47 wooden and fiber boats were intercepted and confiscated, while four vehicles were arrested in some Delta communities.
“Throughout the Niger Delta, 176 incidents were reported between January 20 and January 26. It was reported that 63 unauthorized connections had been found in the states of Rivers, Delta, and Bayelsa.
According to reports, the 34 illegal refineries were seen in several towns in the states of Rivers, Bayelsa, Delta, and Abia.
“In the last week, 16 reports of pipeline damage were made, and two illicit storage facilities were found in Delta and Bayelsa.
It was said that “seven of the cases occurred in the deep blue water, with 22 occurring in the western region, 101 in the northern region, and 46 in the eastern region.”
According to the NNPCL, 10,166 illicit refineries and crude oil connections have been dismantled in Nigeria since 2021.
It said that 4,480 illicit crude oil connections were removed during the time, and approximately 5,686 unlawful refinery sites were dismantled.
